Entrepreneur Levente Hugo Bara, Supremia Grup will be representing Romania at Monte Carlo, in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year final

Share

The leader of the food ingredients sector in Romania, entrepreneur Levente Hugo Bara, will represent Romania in the final of the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year.

Levente Hugo Bara, the businessman behind Supremia business group, was appointed the winner of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year - 2015 Entrepreneur Romania, on the 12 of November at a gala ceremony, in which he competed alongside other 47 business leaders under the EY Romania program. He will represent Romania at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year world final, in which will compete with entrepreneurs from over 60 countries.

Supremia Group is the number one on the food ingredients market in Romania and is also one of the major players on the European market. The group has 280 employees on 4 continents and it exports raw material purchases from 80 countries. Turnover has already reached EUR 35 million in 2015 and Levente Hugo Bara is estimating a turnover of EUR 38 million by the end of the year.

At the ceremony attended by over 200 representatives of the business community, Dan Isai, CEO Salad Box was named Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year and Cristian Ispas, General Manager Motivation was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year.

Salad Box, the company created by Dan Isai in 2012, is currently the third ranking fast-food restaurant chain in Romania by size. In 2015, Salad Box revenues are expected to reach 14 million. This comes after 2014 when the company sales were of EUR 8.6 million. For the next period, the company's strategy will focus on expanding the business both domestically and abroad, Salad Box already being present on the Hungarian and German markets.

With a turnover of EUR 2.8 million and profit of 0.67 million in 2014 Motivation SRL provides a quarter of the budget to the same-name Foundation. In 2014, Motivation SRL sold through 15 regional teams, 1,186 wheelchairs to disabled people nationally, almost double compared to 2010. The profit Motivation is generating is invested in the development of programs for increasing integration and inclusion in the community of disabled persons.

"Entrepreneurs are those who perceive opportunities where others see obstacles, and therefore contribute more than any other group to the economy and to job creation. I would like to congratulate all 48 winners and competitors alike, for the vision, and passion invested in the businesses they have developed, " said Bogdan Ion, Country Managing Partner, EY Romania.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year - Romania 2015 jury.

In selecting the winners, the jury examined each application based on six criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, financial performance, strategic direction, community impact, innovation and personal integrity capability.

The jury which established the competition finalists and chosen the Entrepreneur Of The Year winners is composed of leaders of the business community in Romania:

• Marius Stefan, CEO Autonomous Rent a Car and one of the six finalists of the first edition of Entrepreneur Of The Year Romania

• Mihai Marcu, President Medlife, jury member at the 2014 edition of the competition

• Cornel Marian, Oresa Ventures Managing Partner, member of the jury and the 2014 edition of the competition

• Omer Tetik, General Director Banca Transilvania, a member of the jury and the 2014 edition of the competition

Who are the entrepreneurs who competed in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year - Romania 2015 competition?

The 2015 edition of the competition scored 60 businessmen, against 50 in the first edition held last year. 48 Romanian entrepreneurs remained in the national competition EY Entrepreneur Of The Year after verification of eligibility conditions, compared to 40 entrepreneurs in 2014. The companies of eligible entrepreneurs income are totaling EUR 1.2 billion and 9,000 employees, middle-income EUR 27 million of the company and an average number of 200 employees in 2014. Entrepreneurs have developed companies in sectors ranging from consumer products, agriculture and construction, professional services, technology and telecommunications.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists were:

1) Levente Hugo Bara, Supremia group

2) Vasile Armenean, Betty Ice

3) Cepalis Doina, Te-Rox Prod

4) Philip Cox, Recaş Cellars

5) Florin Madar, Group Temad

6) Marinela and Ion Dragoi, Pet Star Holding

The three Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards were:

1) Dan Isai, Salad Box - winner of the Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year

2) Monica Cadogan, Vivre Deco - second place

3) Horace Impaler, Bilka Steel- third place

Since 2014, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year competition, the only global competition dedicated to entrepreneurs, also takes place in Romania. EY Entrepreneur of the Year is organized in 145 cities in 60 countries for almost 30 years and it rewards entrepreneurs on the vision and strategic direction on their businesses, for the power of innovation, personal integrity and, not least, on the positive impact on the community.

This year, six companies have joined the competition as sponsors: DAAS International Group, Vodafone Romania, the City Grill, Daw Benţa Romania and AROBS and FAN Courier, the main sponsor of the competition.

"We were glad to see the 48 contestants willingness of entrepreneurs to inspire young Romanian in order for them to pursue their own aspirations, and the desire to see put Romania on the map of global entrepreneurship. The vast majority of businesses competing grown organically on our own, but we saw an interest in increasingly large expansion in foreign markets - regional, European or even global, " said Alexandru Lupea, Partner and Strategic Growth Markets Leader EY Romania.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.